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- Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 6-04-2026: A caller with previously normal platelets now bouncing between 40-60 asks whether to accept her doctor's recommendation of high-dose dexamethasone. Dr. Dawn suggests checking homocysteine and methylmalonic acid for hidden B12 issues, getting an ultrasound to rule out splenic sequestration, and confirming actual autoimmune antibody testing before committing to steroids. Researchers invented a fake disease called "Bixonimania" (periorbital hyperpigmentation supposedly caused by blue light) with obvious tells including a fictional Asteria Horizon University and Starfleet Academy acknowledgment. By 2026, AI chatbots were routinely describing it as real, and three Indian researchers even cited the fake preprint in a peer-reviewed paper that was subsequently retracted. A 75-year-old caller asks about intermittent fasting patterns. Dr. Dawn advises against fasting longer than 24 hours after age 75 due to muscle catabolism, and recommends time-restricted eating instead—starting with protein at 10am to prevent muscle breakdown. For rebuilding lost muscle she prescribes resistance bands, 30g protein including 5g branched-chain amino acids before exercise, and total daily protein matching one's age in grams. A male caller with a T-score of -4.0 on DEXA (diagnostic of severe osteoporosis) asks about pulsed electromagnetic frequency therapy for his hip. Dr. Dawn explains bone's piezoelectric properties mean that compression and electrical stimulation both activate osteoblasts. She recommends checking parathyroid hormone (tumors cause silent calcium loss), notes that vitamin D above 10,000 IU daily can paradoxically activate osteoclasts and worsen osteoporosis. She discusses how decades of proton pump inhibitor use cause achlorhydria leading to both B12 deficiency (elevated MCV) and calcium malabsorption. The same caller asks whether AI has genuine empathy after seeing Claude express regret about military use, and Dr. Dawn explains AI is a statistical mirror — the illusion of empathy from frequency-based word selection trained on human text, not genuine feeling. Daraxonrasib, an oral monoclonal drug from Revolution Medicines, doubled survival time in metastatic pancreatic cancer trials from 7 to 13 months, prompting FDA expanded access. Dr. Dawn explains KRAS—the long-elusive target with no binding pockets—was finally tackled using Gregory Verdine's "molecular glue" approach, where small molecules first attach to bystander proteins to create complexes capable of binding KRAS. A high school in San Francisco has seen seven active and 241 latent TB cases since November 2025, with 18% of the school community infected. Dr. Dawn notes California reached a 12-year high of 2,150 TB cases in 2025, and connects the unusually high latent-infection rate to recent Medi-Cal cuts and immigration-related healthcare avoidance. She argues healthcare access for vulnerable populations is a practical disease-prevention measure.
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